I'm going to kill all Muslims: van attack

Basu also said it was too early to say what the motive of the attacker might have been was but that the incident had all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack and that all the victims were Muslim.

The Muslim Council of Britain said the vehicle hit people as they were leaving the Finsbury Park Mosque, one of Britain's largest.

Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim organisation which speaks out against extremism, said: "I utterly condemn the senseless and evil van attack against Muslim worshippers outside the Finsbury Park Mosque in London. Thank God I just moved to the side, I just jumped", the witness added.

Britain's terrorist alert level is now at "severe", meaning an attack in highly likely. Around 10% of the borough's population is Muslim.

A man has been arrested after police were called to the mosque in Finsbury Park at 00:20 on Monday morning.

Transport for Londontweeted that Seven Sisters Road was closed northbound at Hornsey Road and southbound at Rock Street.

The Finsbury Park Mosque gained notoriety more than a decade ago for sermons by radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was sentenced to life in a US prison in January 2015 for his conviction on terrorism-related charges.

Abu Hamza, who was the mosque's imam from 1997 to 2003, was later extradited to the United States, where he was convicted of supporting al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, and sentenced to life in prison in 2015.

The attacker struck as the area was busy with worshippers attending Ramadan night prayers at Finsbury Park mosque.

The chairman of the Finsbury Park Mosque says the van crash that hit worshippers was a "cowardly attack" and urged Muslims going to mosques to be vigilant.

People could be heard shouting and screaming amid the chaos and bloodstains were visible on the pavement. Vanzella said she went to the window and saw "loads of people gathering" in a corner across the road from her window. Armed police, ambulances and the fire service were in attendance. Many police cars and ambulances were responding. People were badly injured. Police have not confirmed witness reports.

The 48-year-old man suspected of being the van driver was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

"These were the kinds of comments people were yelling out", she said. Eyewitness Abdul Rahman said the driver said he wanted to "kill all Muslims".